The present invention relates to a cord holding or stopping buckle formed of a cord holding component and an end stopper as one set for adjusting the pulled-out length and tightness of a belt, string, cord, or rope (all hereafter referred to as a cord in this document) which is used in, for example, clothing, bag, and so on. The cord holding component has an adjustment function, and the end stopper has a function of preventing the cord from being pulled out unexpectedly.
FIGS. 10(a)-10(c) illustrate an example of the use condition of conventional cord holding or stopping components. The cord holding components 45 in FIG. 10(a) are installed at the neck area and waist area of a clothing 40, as shown in FIG. 10(a), and attached to both sides of the extending parts 41a of the cord 41 extending from holes 40a. The cord holding components 45 adjust the tightness of the cord 41, namely, they adjust the length of the extending parts 41a arbitrarily, and stop the cords against the force pulling the extending parts 41a toward the clothing again after the adjustment.
As the structure, the cord holding component is composed of, for example, a cylindrical body 46 having a bottom and through-holes 46a,and a locking member 47 with a through-hole, a part of which is inserted into the body 46 to be movable in and out of the body, and is urged outwardly by a spring installed separately or integrally. When the locking member 47 is pushed into the body 46 against the spring force and the through holes of both the body 46 and the locking member 47 are aligned, an end of the cord 41 is passed through the through-hole (cord free position). When the pushing force is released, the locking member 47 is in the position of partially protruding out of the body due to the spring force, and the shift in the relative position of the through-hole on the locking member 47 with respect to the through-hole 46a on the body 46 stops the cord 41 with the proper tension (cord stop position).
In the aforementioned cord stop component 45, the stopping force for the extending part 41a may be increased in proportion to the spring force pressing the locking member 47 outward. However, if the stopping force is set too strongly by increasing the spring force, it requires a strong force in switching to the cord free position by pushing the locking member 47, and it would not be easy to use. Conventionally, the extending part 41a from the through-hole 46a on the cord holding component 45 has a knot 41c at its free end side, as shown in FIG. 10(b), or the end stopper 48 at its free end side, as shown in FIG. 10(c), so that the knot 41c or the end stopper 48 prevents the extending part 41a from slipping out of the cord holding component 45 unexpectedly even though the extending part 41a is strongly pulled back through the cord holding component. This end stopper 48 has a cylindrical shape with a bottom, having a hole 48a on one end side. The extending part 41a is attached to the end stopper by inserting the free end of the extending part into the cylinder through the hole 48a and making a larger diameter part on the free end by knotting or a metal fixture.
In the aforementioned conventional structure, without the knot 41c or end stopper 48, the cord holding component 45 would have the problem that it would unexpectedly slip out of the cord 41, and performance would be unsatisfactory. When the knot 41c is made or the end stopper 48 is attached at the free end of the extending part 41a,a new problem occurs. That is, the extending part 41a extends according to the tightness of the cord 41, and then the knot 41c or end stopper 48 swings like a pendulum from the cord holding component 45. This makes a user uneasy. This problem not only makes a user uneasy, but also causes the problems such as hitting a face of a user when the length of the extending part 41a is longer than about 10 cm at which time the knot 41c or stopper 48 swings a lot as the user moves. Although the conventional end stopper 48 is apparently preferable rather than the knot 41c, it requires a knot or a larger diameter cord end to prevent the end stopper from falling off after inserting the free end of the extending part 41a into the stopper cylinder through the hole 48a. Thus, a handling or workability is poor.
The present invention has been made in order to overcome the aforementioned problems when the cord holding component and end stopper are used as a set, and an object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle, wherein a cord extending part and an end stopper do not become cumbersome even when the cord extending part is extended largely by pulling out of the cord stop component, and which is easy to use and looks nice.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle as stated above, wherein the structure of the end stopper is improved to have good handling and working ability when it is attached to the free end of the cord extending part.
A further object of the invention is to provide a cord holding buckle as stated above, which make it easier to provide an end stopper flat and of small size.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.